NHL 2020-2021 season start/schedule

[albator71]

The issue is the players may argue that cancel season due to the virus mess = lockout.

Yeah but the owners are not cancelling the season because of Covid, they are cancelling the season because of money!

PS I should say they are "thinking" of cancelling the season.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

 

[Byrddog]

Making things more complicated is Article 5 and section 17 of the player contracts make it clear individual teams might elect to suspend operations even if the league as a whole doesn’t.

This fits right into the California and New York teams where the pressure from local official's will squash any attemp for fans in the seats.

 

[Mightygoose]

January 15 makes allot more sense as a goal. Especially with the Christmas break coming up.

Vaccines in both countries should be approved in the next week or so and they'll have a better idea than they do now.

Some time has passed for the players to wrap their heads around the league's ask and the league also can wrap their heads around the PA's response.

Time for both parties to get working

 

[LadyStanley]

50 something games. Better than zero.

 

[Ernie]

Meanwhile in British Columbia, the PHO Dr Bonnie Henry banned all team sports yesterday. Teams aren't allowed to travel or play province wide. They can practice with drills only but players cannot cross any municipal boundaries to do so (which there are a lot of in the lower mainland).

This obviously throws a wrench into any plan for the Canucks. Will they get an exemption? Perhaps, but DBH was the reason that the bubble was moved to Edmonton last summer so there are definitely limits to her flexibility. The BCHL has all but shut down because of this.

If things don't change the Canucks will have no choice but to look into an alternate location. Quebec City? (I jest).

 

[LadyStanley]

As I quoted tweet in BCHL thread (yesterday), players can have NO physical contact and must maintain 3m distancing. So these "drills" and practices you mention would essentially be skating only. No faceoffs, battle drills, shinny.


Sharks are looking to play/practice in a county other than home due to recent restrictions. And now the governor has put even more restrictions (back) in place.

 

[Ernie]

As I quoted tweet in BCHL thread (yesterday), players can have NO physical contact and must maintain 3m distancing. So these "drills" and practices you mention would essentially be skating only. No faceoffs, battle drills, shinny.


Sharks are looking to play/practice in a county other than home due to recent restrictions. And now the governor has put even more restrictions (back) in place.

Makes you wonder whether the NHL will be forced to play in a bubble again at least to start the season.

The rules may be limiting in BC but they have been put in place to avoid the skyrocketing infection rates in the Canadian prairies. At this point I don't see how the NHL can possibly avoid team outbreaks in Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg if they allow players to live in the community.

Of course all throughout North America the problem exists - infection rates are highest in the US Midwest. In my opinion, the hurdles of starting a new season will not likely come down to escrow / deferred salary. Rick Westhead of TSN laid out how weak a case the NHL has yesterday.

But instead are the players willing to go back into a bubble? Will they be allowed to bring their families with them? It may be the case that the players would prefer to delay the start of the season to minimize the time spent in "lockup."

So instead using the (toothless) threat of cancelling the season, the NHL may now be tacking in the other direction: the players will play under the NHL's conditions. Want to negotiate on those conditions? Then things like escrow / deferred salary are back on the table.

 

[Mightygoose]

NBA releases the first half of their schedule today. 17 days before the regular season.

For the NHL to keep on the same pace based on a January 15 start would need to release by December 29.....plus getting through a whole host of issues.

At least they're talking with the PA now.

 

[LadyStanley]

At this point I don't see how the NHL can possibly avoid team outbreaks in Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg if they allow players to live in the community.

Well, you eliminate interaction with the community?

Perhaps by:

First, kids are in school virtually or home schooled. Spouses don't work outside of the home (either work remotely or stay at home)

Second, all consumables delivered.

Third, protection everywhere.

 

[robertocarlos]

The earliest players currently over-seas could be ready for training camp is around January 10th. Then you need 3 weeks of traing camp or you are screwing the 7 teams you promised an extra week of camp. Or you are screwing the fans by showing beer league hockey for a couple of weeks.

 

[TheLegend]

The 56- game schedule is gaining steam with all the writers.

Word is players start camp right after Christmas for short camp and pre-season then games start January 15th.

 

[Ernie]

Well, you eliminate interaction with the community?

Perhaps by:

First, kids are in school virtually or home schooled. Spouses don't work outside of the home (either work remotely or stay at home)

Second, all consumables delivered.

Third, protection everywhere.

Well, young children going to school doesn't appear to be a major source of transmission. But I would expect the other things would be very hard to enforce.

 

[robertocarlos]

The 56- game schedule is gaining steam with all the writers.

Word is players start camp right after Christmas for short camp and pre-season then games start January 15th.

What about Euro players that are staying home for Christmas?

 

[Ernie]

What about Euro players that are staying home for Christmas?

I don't believe there is any allowance for that in the CBA. It's pretty clear that the NHL is in charge of creating the schedule.

 

[LadyStanley]

I'd expect players need to arrive in NHL cities 12/10-12/15 for two week quarantine. (I saw headline recently that 7-10 days may be all that is really needed for quarantine. )

7 teams start extra camp 12/26. 24 on 1/1.

 

[Ernie]

Lots of details in this The Athletic article about plans to return to play: What hurdles are delaying the start of the 2020-21 NHL season?

snippets:

In general, the expectation is that any team that can’t play at home will play in another NHL building.
So it’s possible the Sharks could end up playing games in Anaheim where the Honda Center isn’t as busy as the Staples Center, where the L.A. Kings play their home games.

But what happens if California prohibited all three California-based teams from playing or practicing?
Again, the NHL is planning for these kinds of possibilities.

Perhaps Arizona or Vegas would be tabbed to take on another tenant if any number of the Sharks, Kings or Ducks needed to find a temporary home.

There is a strong belief at the league level that San Jose will not be alone in facing these issues and they are preparing for teams across the United States to face the prospect of at least temporarily being unable to play in their own buildings.

If the number of teams that are not allowed to play in their own buildings grows, the league and the players’ association would revisit the idea of playing in some sort of hub system. The pre-planning at the league level has discussed having teams within a division play in a centralized location. The schedule would then have teams play a series of games against each other and then some teams would return home to rest and practice while other teams come into what would be a kind of malleable bubble.

 

[LadyStanley]

Hmmm

 

[mouser]

Hmmm

Smart, sorting out the logistics of a season should be priority one. Once there’s a general agreement on a season structure the financial challenges become more clear and defined.

 

[Golden_Jet]

The 56- game schedule is gaining steam with all the writers.

Word is players start camp right after Christmas for short camp and pre-season then games start January 15th.

What about quarantine, all those players would miss their Christmas with families.

 

[LadyStanley]

What about quarantine, all those players would miss their Christmas with families.

Most will quarantine with family.




No exhibition games? Hmmmm

 

[Web In Front]

No point in playing exhibition games you can't sell tickets to.

 

[Mightygoose]

The NFL didn't have pre season either.
It's not perfect but they need to hit the ground running with not allot of time.

 

[TheLegend]

Players are working out now. They’re operating under the pre-bubble protocols with a limit of players on the ice at any one time. That can be ramped up as things progress as they get closer to camp time. So a short/no preseason won’t be an issue except for getting line chemistries down.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Most will quarantine with family.




No exhibition games? Hmmmm

The European players need 2 weeks to quarantine, the American players who play in Canada need 2 weeks quarantine, Canadian players going to certain US markets need 2 weeks quarantine, if this doesn't start until after Christmas, then late January or February first is the earliest start date,
Unless you tell those players no Christmas for you.